Dengue in the northern region of Queensland, 1981-1982

During the dengue epidemic in northern Queensland in 1981 and 1982, type I dengue was serologically confirmed in 196 patients (mean age, 32.2 years) from the Cairns district. The most common symptoms were fever (99%), headache (92%), rash (91%), myalgia (93%), skin itching (75%) and arthralgia (60%). Haemorrhagic manifestations were noted in 14 patients. Most only showed skin petechiae. One patient also had bleeding from the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts. No cases of shock were recorded. Leucopenia was present in 57% of patients. A discussion on the relevance of these findings to dengue haemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome is included. A serological survey after the epidemic suggests that approximately 7% of the population have antibodies to dengue as a result of the recent epidemic.